HP DVD Movie Writer DC3000
Before you get started
----------------------
Make sure your system meets the minimum system requirements.
Make sure your monitor screen resolution is set at 1024 x 768,
or higher.
Make sure you have enough free hard drive space. On average, MPEG-2
video files require about 450 MB per 10 minutes of video.
Use the Windows Update function to ensure that your operating system
and drivers are fully up to date.
Make sure your USB 2.0 interface is working properly.
- USB integrated into motherboard:
- Read your computer's owner manual for information
on how to configure the USB port in the BIOS setup.
Note: your computer may not have come with
all drivers pre-installed. Additional drivers
provided by the computer manufacturer may be
necessary.
- Check with your computer vendor's support web site for updated
USB drivers and other additional information.
- USB 2.0 add-in card.
- Please read and follow all installation instructions
provided by the card's vendor.
- Check with your card vendor's support web site for updated
USB 2.0 drivers and other additional information.
If you have problems with your USB port, contact the hardware vendor
for support.
Installing the DVD Movie Writer
-------------------------------
Power on your computer and install the HP DVD Movie Writer software.
Reboot your computer when instructed.
After the DVD Movie Writer software has been installed, and the PC
restarted, connect the drive to the PC. Connect power, and then connect
a USB data cable to both the drive and a USB port on your computer.
The operating system should present a "New Hardware Found" message and
proceed to load the necessary drivers, automatically.
If you wish to use a third party software package to transfer video
or images, and choose NOT to install the included video software, you
will need to manually install the device drivers for the video
transfer hardware in the HP Movie Writer. These device drivers are
located in a folder called "\Drivers" on the installation CD.
When the driver installation is complete, verify that the drive is
recognized by Windows by opening 'My Computer,' and looking for the
drive, which should show up as a new CD-ROM device, with a new drive
letter.
Note that the drive actually has TWO USB ports. The port on the rear is
intended as the connector to your computer. The port on the side is
intended for connecting another external USB device, such as a digital
camera.
The USB port will not operate properly as a pass-through port when
the drive is not powered on.
The drive does not have the ability to capture video or record
DVDs without being attached to your PC.
Unplugging the drive
--------------------
When removing the drive without shutting down your computer, always
use the Eject Hardware utility. This utility is launched from an
icon in the Windows system tray.
Downloading digital video (or stills) from a 1394 DV Camcorder
--------------------------------------------------------------
In most cases, ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD will recognize and be able to
acquire and integrate video (or stills) from DV camcorders
connected to a 1394 port on your PC.
Downloading still photos from USB digital cameras
-------------------------------------------------
ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD can acquire still images (or burst mode video)
from USB digital cameras only if the cameras' memory can be
represented as a logical disk drive. If your camera cannot display
it's images as files on a logical disk drive, you will need to use
the software that was included with your camera to transfer images
to files on your hard drive. Once there, you can add those image
files into an ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD project.
Potential for audio distortion or loss during video capture
---------------------------------------------------------------
When capturing (digitizing) video with the HP DVD Movie Writer,
the potential exists for lost or distorted audio. In Windows XP,
when the Windows Messenger (or MSN Messenger) application is
running, audio problems may occur during video transfers if ANY
CD or DVD media is inserted into ANY CD or DVD drive.
To avoid lost or distorted audio while digitizing your video files,
you must either 1) avoid the insertion of all CD or DVD media in
all CD or DVD drives, or 2) you must exit completely from the
Windows Messenger.
Please note that it is NOT sufficient to merely click the "Close"
menu option within the Windows Messenger. You must exit from
application completely. To exit the Windows Messenger, right
click on the Windows Messenger Service icon found in the system
tray, and click on the "Exit" menu option. Following a successful
video capture, Windows Messenger may be restarted from the Start
menu.
For more information about this problem, please refer to Microsoft
Knowledge Base Article 328974.
Video quality outside the "TV Safe Zone"
----------------------------------------
When previewing or editing video clips using ArcSoft ShowBiz DVD,
you may notice fuzziness, "snow," black lines, or video distortion
near the outer edges of your video images. If these problems and
artifacts occur only at the bottom or outer edges of the picture,
there's probably no need for concern about the overall quality of
the DVD you create from that clip. The outer-most edges of a video
clip will not be visible when you play it from a DVD disc on a TV,
with a set-top DVD player. The TV viewable area of a video image is
called the "TV Safe Zone."
ShowBiz DVD software can display a dotted grid which shows the
"TV Save Zone" of your video clips. This boundary grid closely
approximates that portion of your video that will be displayed on
a TV, when you play your finished DVD.
To toggle TV Safe Zone grid lines ON or OFF, click the 'View' menu
in ShowBiz DVD, then click "TV Safe Zone" from the pull-down menu.
Preview in muvee autoProducer
-----------------------------
The video preview function within the "muvee" software often appears
choppy. Under normal circumstances, this choppiness is only seen
during the preview phase, and does not affect the video quality of the
saved output file.
Automatic firmware update checking
----------------------------------
The HP DVD Writer software installs a software component that will
access the Internet to check for firmware updates to your drive.
This software will not initiate an Internet connection, but in the
presence of an active connection, it will check for firmware updates.
You'll be notified if any updates have been released for your specific
drive(s). Click 'Accept' to allow the firmware to be downloaded to
your system, or 'decline' to skip the firmware download.
HP Software Update utility
--------------------------
The HP DVD Writer software installs a software component that will let
you easily check for software updates for your HP products. You can
configure the utility to automatically check for updates
on a scheduled basis. To run the utility manually, go to Start,
Programs, Hewlett-Packard, HP Software Update and click on the "Check
Now" button.
Troubleshooting tips
--------------------
Make sure your HP DVD Movie Writer drive has power. The blue eject and
transfer button lights should be on whenever the unit has power.
If your system is having trouble recognizing the drive, or if you see
errors while trying to access DVD or CD media, shut down and power
off your computer, unplug power to the drive, restart the drive,
and then power up the system with the drive connected.
Try using the USB cable included with your HP DVD Movie Writer.
USB 1.1 is not fast enough to keep up with the transfer rate required
to record DVDs at the drive's maximum capability. The slow transfer
rate can also prevent smooth playback of many DVD movie discs. If you
are experiencing these problems, and your DVD Movie Writer is connected
to a USB 1.1 port, you may see improved performance by disconnecting
non-active USB devices. Also, if the drive is connected to a USB 1.1
hub, try bypassing the hub and connecting the drive directly to your
computer. While these changes may minimally improve performance, for
best results, we recommend attaching the HP DVD Movie Writer to a
USB 2.0 port.
Verify that your camcorder or VCR is working correctly. Check the
yellow video activity indicator light. It should be lit whenever a video
signal is present. A valid video signal will only be detected when the
camcorder or VCR is playing. If the indicator is not lit, check all
cables and connections. Try connecting your video device to a TV to
verify that itís playing correctly.